Luxury hotel and spa nr Dover, Kent, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
At Wallett’s Court, we constantly challenge ourselves to provide the right environment for our guests and staff team. We also realise the need to protect our natural environment and, as such, we place huge importance on the management of precious resources.
Transport
At Wallett's Court we invite many guests to leave their car at home and come under their own steam & on public transport. There are great trails for walking & cycling into the area. St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe is on a National Cycle Route & The Saxon Shoreway footpath passes through St. Margaret's Bay. With the new high speed train service running into Dover & Deal the area is only a little over an hour from the centre of our buzzing capital. You can even hop on a number 15 bus from Dover, Deal, Sandwich or Canterbury that will deliver you to our doorstep.
Over time, we have been implementing policies and systems designed to reduce the impact we have on our natural environment.
Water Conservation
We continue to reduce the volumes of water used by the introduction of fittings and equipment that eliminates the excessive use of water. These measures include water-efficient showerheads and toilet cisterns. We also use collected rainwater in appropriate circumstances and bottle our own well water.
Energy Conservation
In 1998, we installed a new technology in the form of combined heat and power systems in our spa. This has had the effect of retaining and reusing the heat which otherwise would be lost in the generating of electricity. The positive consequences of this are that there is a reduction of carbon into the atmosphere by the more efficient use of energy. In addition to this, we have signed up to the Green Tourism Business Scheme and use low energy light bulbs where possible.
Recycling
Launched in 2007, our waste management programme directs our waste from landfill towards “Reduce, Re-use and Recycle”. We are now extracting glass, cardboard, newspapers and aluminium cans from our waste streams and have invested in equipment for the on-site treatment of organic waste which is prepared and passed for composting.
Community
Wallett’s Court employs a staff of around 30 all from the immediate local area. All staff live within a 5 mile radius and are encouraged to use sustainable forms of travel to and from work.The restaurant relies heavily on the local community and partnerships with local businesses to supply produce. Locally reared meat is prioritised as is locally grown fruit and vegetables from ‘The Garden of England’. All fish used is from sustainable sources mostly from local day boats. We also use produce from our own gardens and orchards.
Wallett’s Court actively engages in a project to keep the local beach at St. Margaret’s Bay clean with a weekly collection of litter along the coastline. We work with the local school - St. Margaret’s County Primary and sponsor a Green Footprint Group which encourages children to learn more about the environment and help the school become more environmentally sustainable. We also support the local Sustainable Communities Project.
Landscape
Wallett's Court runs educational experiences involving foraging in our unique landscape by qualified professionals working closely with local landowners and farmers. We support careful management of the countryside. Foraging expeditions are conducted on land owned by Wallett's Court or on land on which the experts have been granted permission. The amount of plants foraged from these areas is limited and years of experience shows that leaving the greater proportion of edible plants including roots intact means a more prosperous environment for future generations. If the expedition passes through SSSIs or AONBs it does not instruct or condone the removal of plants from these areas. We advise against using wild food unless absolutely certain of its suitability for human consumption. Wallett's Court operates a strict environmental policy and is involved in projects to support responsible and sustainable tourism.
